Analysis of mitochondrial control region DNA variation in New Zealand's brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Ecology at Massey University

Brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) were first introduced from Australia to New Zealand in 1858 to establish a fur industry. Currently numbering more than 65 million, they are recognised as the most important mammalian pest in New Zealand, because of the environmental and agricultural damage they cause. Possums act as a wildlife reservoir of bovine tuberculosis (Tb) and, as such, threaten New Zealand's multi-million dollar beef and dairy industry. Eliminating bovine Tb in livestock requires removal of contact with infected possums. This is mainly achieved through the intensive poisoning of areas of known wildlife Tb infection and the establishment around them of zones of low possum density (known as buffer zones) adjacent to at-risk farmland. Not only does this result in lower possum density, and thus fewer dispersing possums, but may also affect the movement patterns of possums. Measurement of gene frequency differences between populations associated with a buffer zone would allow a qualitative estimate of the effect of buffer zones on limiting possum movement. The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region is an effective marker for detecting intraspccific genetic structure because it has a high mutation rate, lack of recombination and uniparental mode of inheritance. An extensive survey of brushtail possum mtDNA control region variation in New Zealand was conducted to quantify levels of variation and thus assess the utility of the mtDNA control region as a marker for detecting genetic differentiation between possum populations. Nine haplotypes were found among 70 possums from throughout New Zealand. Most of the variation (six haplotypes) was concentrated in the North Island, and the most widespread haplotype (occurring in all four islands surveyed) was also the most common - found in 67% of possums surveyed. The technique of single stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP) was developed for the brushtail possum so that a quick, cost-effective and sensitive method for surveying mtDNA control region variation in large numbers of individuals was available. This assay was applied to screen the variation in possums separated by small spatial scales associated with two buffer zones in the South Island. A total of 234 possums were screened, with 98.7% found to possess the same haplotype. The other 1.3%, all from one location, possessed a second haplotype. The extremely low levels of variation makes it highly unlikely that surveys of variation in mtDNA will be able to detect an effect of buffer zones on possum movement, at least in the South Island. Areas of higher variation, such as certain parts on the North Island, would be better candidates for testing the effect of barriers such as buffer zones on genetic differentiation between possum populations

Knowledge and attitudes of sexuality in the elderly among educators of health care professionals

Many elderly adults have fears and concerns regarding sexuality, including the impact of chronic disease on sexual function. Typically, society has negative attitudes toward elderly sexual expression with misconceptions, negative stereotyping and myths compounding ageist perceptions that the elderly become asexual with age. Thus knowledge of and attitudes toward sexuality in the elderly has become an area of interest over the past several decades. In an attempt to promote sexual expression as a right for the elderly and physiological changes viewed in terms of positive adjustment, White (1982) developed an instrument to determine knowledge of and attitudes towards sexuality of elderly people. The Ageing Sexual Knowledge and Attitude Srale (ASKAS) is designed to measure the knowledge of and attitudes toward sexuality held by elderly individuals, or any group of people who have an impact upon the sexual expression of elderly people. This current study seeks to determine the koowledge of and attitudes toward sexuality in the elderly among educators of health care professionals. Demographic and experiential variables of respondents (n=360) were compiled to determine their ability to predict knowledge of; attitudes toward; and the koowledge and attitude relationship of sexuality in the elderly. Lecturers in medicine (n~25), m(n~l 09), ocoupational therapy (n~33), physiotherapy (n~30), psychology (n~93) and social work (n~53) from within Australia, New Zealand and South Africa volunteered as participants. The existence of a weak but significant relationship between knowledge and attitudes of sexuality in the elderly was found. Age was found to be the singular variable predictive of attitude. No differences across country or profession of the respondent were found. A discussion of the implications of the knowledge and attitude relationship is given

Systematic review of the current status of cadaveric simulation for surgical training

Background: There is growing interest in and provision of cadaveric simulation courses for surgical trainees. This is being driven by the need to modernize and improve the efficiency of surgical training within the current challenging training climate. The objective of this systematic review is to describe and evaluate the evidence for cadaveric simulation in postgraduate surgical training. Methods: A PRISMA‐compliant systematic literature review of studies that prospectively evaluated a cadaveric simulation training intervention for surgical trainees was undertaken. All relevant databases and trial registries were searched to January 2019. Methodological rigour was assessed using the widely validated Medical Education Research Quality Index (MERSQI) tool. Results: A total of 51 studies were included, involving 2002 surgical trainees across 69 cadaveric training interventions. Of these, 22 assessed the impact of the cadaveric training intervention using only subjective measures, five measured impact by change in learner knowledge, and 23 used objective tools to assess change in learner behaviour after training. Only one study assessed patient outcome and demonstrated transfer of skill from the simulated environment to the workplace. Of the included studies, 67 per cent had weak methodology (MERSQI score less than 10·7). Conclusion: There is an abundance of relatively low‐quality evidence showing that cadaveric simulation induces short‐term skill acquisition as measured by objective means. There is currently a lack of evidence of skill retention, and of transfer of skills following training into the live operating theatre

Reducing Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI) by Decreasing Use of Indwelling Catheters

Background: Catheter Associated Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTI) are considered a preventable hospital-acquired infection [2]. Centers for Medicaid and Medicare no longer reimburse hospitals for preventable CAUTIs [2]. A concerted effort to decrease our indwelling urinary catheter (IUC) rate has led to a decrease in the number of infections related to these catheters at Maine Medical Center (MMC) in Portland, Maine. Starting in 2012 as a result of The Joint Commission National Patient Safety Goal, the inter-professional CAUTI committee focus has been on decreasing utilization of IUC[1]. After an initial large decrease in utilization, the rates have flattened. The effort over the past year has been focused on breaking this plateau and lowering IUC use. As a result, MMC has decreased its CAUTI rate below the national bench mark

Balancing Selection Drives the Maintenance of Genetic Variation in Drosophila Antimicrobial Peptides

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Genes involved in immune defense against pathogens provide some of the most well-known examples of both directional and balancing selection. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are innate immune effector genes, playing a key role in pathogen clearance in many species, including Drosophila. Conflicting lines of evidence have suggested that AMPs may be under directional, balancing, or purifying selection. Here, we use both a linear model and control-gene-based approach to show that balancing selection is an important force shaping AMP diversity in Drosophila. In Drosophila melanogaster, this is most clearly observed in ancestral African populations. Furthermore, the signature of balancing selection is even more striking once background selection has been accounted for. Balancing selection also acts on AMPs in Drosophila mauritiana, an isolated island endemic separated from D. melanogaster by about 4 Myr of evolution. This suggests that balancing selection may be broadly acting to maintain adaptive diversity in Drosophila AMPs, as has been found in other taxa

Could stool collection devices help increase uptake to bowel cancer screening programmes?

Objective: We aimed to understand the usage and acceptability of a faecal collection device (FCD) amongst participants of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme in order to influence future uptake. Setting: Men and women completing faecal occult blood test (FOBt) retests as part of the routine Bowel Cancer Screening Programme in Eastern England. Methods: A FCD and questionnaire was sent to all potential retest participants during a 1 month period collecting information on prior stool collection methods and ease of use and usefulness of the enclosed FCD. Results: Of 1087 invitations to participate, 679 (62.5%) participants returned their questionnaire. Of these 429 (63.2%) trialled the FCD at least once. 163 (38.4%) found the device made collecting their sample easier than previously, with 189 (44.6%) finding it made collection more difficult and 72 (17.0%) feeling it made no difference. Similar numbers reported finding that the FCD made collecting the sample more pleasant (130, 31.5%), less pleasant (103, 25.0%) and no different (179, 43.4%) compared to previous collection without a FCD. Conclusion: Although a small proportion of participants found the FCD helpful a considerable majority did not or did not use it at all. Offering FCDs is unlikely to produce a substantial increase in bowel cancer screening uptake

The Genetic Basis of Natural Variation in Drosophila melanogaster Immune Defense against Enterococcus faecalis

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.Dissecting the genetic basis of natural variation in disease response in hosts provides insights into the coevolutionary dynamics of host-pathogen interactions. Here, a genome-wide association study of Drosophila melanogaster survival after infection with the Gram-positive entomopathogenic bacterium Enterococcus faecalis is reported. There was considerable variation in defense against E. faecalis infection among inbred lines of the Drosophila Genetics Reference Panel. We identified single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with six genes with a significant (p < 10−08, corresponding to a false discovery rate of 2.4%) association with survival, none of which were canonical immune genes. To validate the role of these genes in immune defense, their expression was knocked-down using RNAi and survival of infected hosts was followed, which confirmed a role for the genes krishah and S6k in immune defense. We further identified a putative role for the Bomanin gene BomBc1 (also known as IM23), in E. faecalis infection response. This study adds to the growing set of association studies for infection in Drosophila melanogaster and suggests that the genetic causes of variation in immune defense differ for different pathogens